New York Shoppers Outraged by Sale of Nazi Memorabilia at Manhattan Flea Market

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The Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market, where one vendor is selling Nazi memorabilia that is offending shoppers. Photo: Facebook.

A flea market vendor selling Nazi memorabilia in Manhattan is outraging offended shoppers, the New York Postreported on Monday.

“It’s very bad, awful, horrible,” said Manana Guginava, 68, who explained that her family fled Romania after the Nazi invasion. “You can’t do everything for the sake of money. These people who are advertising Hitler and his signs and speeches — these people must be taken to prison.”

The vendor, who has a stand at the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market, is selling images of Adolf Hitler and clippings from his wartime magazine, Signal, as well as medals, pins, knives, rings and coins. He also has on display a massive metallic Reichsadler, also known as the Imperial Eagle emblem of the Nazi party.

The vendor, who refused to reveal his name, told the Post on Sunday that he started selling Nazi memorabilia about six months ago, after mistakenly buying the items at an estate sale and later realizing he could make a profit from them. He brushed off suggestions that he was doing something offensive, according to the Post. The vendor said many Jews have purchased his pieces — and at one auction, he even saw a rabbi buy a Nazi medal for $8,000.

“I buy this stuff at estate sales. I have no connection to it,” he told the publication, adding that his grandfather was Jewish. “I don’t only sell this. I sell Jewish, American, whatever I can get. Collector’s items, that’s all it is.”

After surveying the items on sale, Jewish shopper Emily Shwartz, 25, said, “That’s super upsetting, especially being Jewish myself and having family killed in concentration camps.”

Another shopper called the selling of the items disgusting, adding, “It’s inappropriate, especially in New York, because we’re so ethnically and religiously diverse. So many people that suffered through concentration camps live here in New York.”